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Movies like Fargo and Drop Dead Gorgeous make it easy to stereotype anyone who lives from the North Dakota border to the shores of Lake Michigan.

Advertisers, author Paul Jankowski argues, have made a grave mistake by buying into these perceptions -- and as a result, they're missing out on reaching 60 percent of Americans. It's unfortunate, because people who live in Middle America are the "most impactful and loyal consumer segment on the planet," he says.

After traveling across the country in his Ford F150, Jankowski, a 20-year ad exec veteran who has worked (on both coasts) with Pepsi, Ford and Beyonce, decided that the message had to get out.

The end result? How to Speak American: Building Brands In The New Heartland. Through extensive third-party research and interviews, Jankowski found that most advertisers are ignoring 177 million people, using a new definition of heartland, which encompasses not only the Midwest, but stretches down to Texas, Florida and the Carolinas. These are all the people advertisers are missing.

"Everyone who has heard of the book concept instantly connects," says Jankowski, who's also the chief strategist of Access Brand Strategies.

He opens his book with a quote from a New York City marketing executive:

"I think the heartland is a nice place to raise children. People are nice, but they're dumb, overweight and gullible. They wear tacky clothing and jewelry. They're racist, unworldly and dumb."

He later points out that in the new heartland, "residents are corporate executives, factory workers, celebrities, soccer moms, debutants, tobacco farmers and U.S. presidents." Oprah was born in Tennessee and worked in Chicago. Ed Whitacre, CEO of General Motors; Randall Stephenson, CEO of AT&T; and Robert McDonald, CEO of Procter & Gamble, all live and work in Middle America.

But the real reason consumers are crucial for advertisers is because they're loyal. "Faith, community and family are deeply rooted here -- and they play into purchase decisions," he says.

He points to Pepsi and Toyota as brands that resonate with consumers. "Toyota's 'Swagger Wagon' created by L.A.-based Saatchi & Saatchi did a great job," he says. "Many brands come across the same way: dismissive and arrogant."